David Lloyd Giddings

David Lloyd Giddings of Eagar, Arizona passed away unexpectedly, Sunday, February 21, 2016 in Springerville, Arizona. He was born in Syracuse, New York, December 17, 1943 to Lloyd Elmer and Lilly Valjean Joslyn Giddings. David grew up in Ellisburg, New York as a very active youth with his three siblings. He graduated from Belleville High School in 1961 as a three sport athlete and with a passion for sports and education. He then went on to earn a B.S. in Education/Physical Education at SUNY at Brockport, New York in 1965 and a Masters in Education at the University of Arizona in 1972. David went through the ROTC program and entered the Marines as an officer in 1965. He served two combat tours in Vietnam and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, both with combat “V” for performance in action. He was honorably discharged in 1971 as a Captain and moved to Arizona with his wife and 2 year old son. Anyone that spent any time with David knows how proud he was to serve our country and he took special pride that he did this as a Marine. David spent most of his 40+ years in the workforce in the education field including Teacher, Coach, Vice Principal, Principal, Headmaster, Director of Admissions, Director of Studies and most recently as Chief Deputy at Apache County Schools. He traveled around the globe in these roles including stints in Tucson, Arizona, Sierra Vista, Arizona, Jakarta, Indonesia, Manila Philippines, Idyllwild, California, Perth, Australia and most recently in Eagar, Arizona. David made a positive impact on the people he knew and the community he lived at every one of his stops and was known for being generous with his time and money. He was always willing to help out, especially when it came to sports and education. He was always extremely active in sports, but had a special passion for golf and really enjoyed good competition. David spent many hours on the golf course in leagues and tournaments, but also enjoyed spending time on the course in casual matches with his family and friends. His passion for sports pushed him toward umpiring/refereeing, which he still dabbled in until just a few years ago. David is survived by his wife, Susan, his stepdaughter, Annette and her husband Ralph and two grandsons, Ralph and James, his son, Phillip and his wife Nicole and three grandsons, Troy, Carson and Ryan and a granddaughter, Kendall. He is also survived by his brother, Pat and sister, Sherri. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Jean, and his brother, Steve. Per specific instructions of David, there was no visitation or services scheduled and his ashes were given to family to disperse. A memorial fund for David will be set up to benefit the Athletic Department and Academic Scholarship fund at Round Valley High School in Eagar where David spent many hours working with the students. Donations can be made out to Round Valley High School referencing David and sent to PO Box 610, Springerville, Arizona 85938.